Getty Head coach Jacque Vaughn of the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn Nets star forward Ben Simmons will miss his third consecutive game when they face the Milwaukee Bucks on February 28, the team announced via Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Simmons has not suited up since the team returned from the All-Star break on February 24 because he has been dealing with knee soreness. It is an injury the All-Star forward has been dealing with sporadically all season which he admits has been “frustrating” for him.
“There’s some targets I need to hit and get to,” Simmons told Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“I had it drained right before All-Star. I also had a PRP. It’s frustrating, but it’s something that’s an injury I’ve never dealt with before. So, it’s something I’m learning about, that we’re learning about.”
Ben Simmons listed out for the Nets tomorrow against the Bucks. He said Friday he would be re-evaluated in a week. I’m not expecting him to play against the Knicks or Celtics, either.
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Ben Simmons Makes Revelation About His Health
This year knee injuries seem to be the recurring theme for the three-time All-Star. Simmons tweaked his knee earlier this season against the Washington Wizards on January 26, which sidelined him for five games.
But Simmons has been dealing with injuries since his arrival in Brooklyn last February. He expected to make his Nets debut last season, but a herniated disc in his back held him out for the entire year.
After having back surgery in May, Simmons expected to come into this season with a clean bill of health, ready to contribute to a Nets team in dire need of more help. But he told reporters that despite having the procedure over the summer, he has not been completely healthy at any point this season.
“I’ve been battling it all year. I haven’t been 100 percent all year. I just want to be on the court, regardless of what it is and whatever position I have. I’m just trying to give the team what I can, so, it’s frustrating. But it’s the league we’re in also. I’m trying to give myself to my teammates as much as possible,” Simmons added.
“Structurally, it’s good. It’s just a strength thing and getting it under control. It’s a frustrating process with the back and dealing with it all. It’s just something I have to deal with and it’s taking time. I just have to stay on top of it. We’re trying to work towards me coming back to being in a place where I can play at a level I can contribute and move.”
Nets Putting Ben Simmons Through ‘Strenthening Phase’
With all due respect, Simmons has looked like a player who has not been 100% all season. It’s not just because of his lackluster stats or unwillingness to shoot the ball. Simmons has also looked like a shell of himself from an effort standpoint.
At one point, Simmons was regarded as one of the most elite defenders in the NBA. And though he has not been a slouch on defense this season, he also has been nowhere near the level of the NBA’s elite.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn says that the Nets are working with Simmons to put him through a “strengthening phase” not only so he can safely return to the court, but to ensure that he will continue to be available.
“At the end of the day, we collectively as an organization, as a group, with Ben, with the performance team, said it was an opportunity to kind of put him in a strengthening phase so that going forward once he gets the knee strengthened this isn’t a reoccurrence for us,” Vaughn said via the New York Post.
“When you’re strengthening things — just like the offseason, where you can do some loading, you can do some lifting — but it’s probably not ideal for you to play also while you’re doing heavy loading, heavy lifting. So that’s the space we’re in right now is he’s in this strengthening phase. Then, hopefully, the knee responds the way we want it to, and he jumps right back on the train with us.”